C5 - First Impressions from an ex-Xantia Owner

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Just traded my Xantia SX 1.9TD in for a C5 SX, 2.0HDI 110. Very
disconcerting at first!
The stalk radio controls took ages to figure out - for the poster a couple

of days ago who couldn't work out the volume control, commiserations - I
couldn't figure it out from the manual either. Turns out volume is on the
back, and mute is press both volume controls for about 1 sec.
The engine is excellent - acceleration surprising if you're used to the
older diesels; happily accelerated to somewhat beyond the legal limit going
up a 1-in-6 hill in 3rd before I glanced at the speedo... noise levels
deceptively low too! Old Xantia and Peugeot before that always let you know
how hard they were working...
Starting threw me, too - spent ages looking for the preheat light. It's
there, but the car starts preheating when you unlock the doors - by the time
you're in it's finished preheating; thought for a horrid moment I'd got the
petrol by mistake!
The new suspension is almost back to the magic carpet ride of the DS21
(unless my memory is giving that car more credit than it deserves).
Practically zero body roll even when pushed hard, rough roads dealt with
smoothly, and little jar from potholes.
The automatic adjustment works excellently, but, as one would expect from a
Citroen, sometimes surprises - at low speeds on bumpy roads it automatically
raises to the high position(3rd notch on the old Xantia manual system); bit
annoying when you're trying to reverse into a drive on mirrors and the car
suddenly goes up 6"...
Climate control is seamless - you need to keep all the vents open for the
full auto mode but it happily maintains both me and SWMBO at the
temperatures we prefer; a 2C difference each side doesn't bother it. Early
morning heating seems faster too - from the hints in the handbook I suspect
it has an air preheat system for the interior.
Just waiting for the first service to see whether I can afford to run it...
- --
Steve Durbin | Look! Minimalism and pointillism comes to ASCII art!
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I'm glad you love your new car. I think pretty much the same.
Your glowplug light does come on, about quarter of a second at temps below 4
(maybe zero) degrees.
Climate control is ace, no messing around. Just choose auto, eco or demist,
let the car do the rest!
My C5 is the best car I have been in.

Sounds pretty good - the Xantia used to cost at the top end of that range
and I was rather concerned that the C5's HDI engine and hoards of on-board
computers might make it a lot more expensive. Prices here in South Wales
probably a bit higher due to the wad of fivers you have to pay to get the
parts in :-)
Just done my first reasonable length journey in it - 200 miles of wet,
windy, twisty, potholed Welsh roads(1), including 40 of the kind with grass
growing in the middle. Everything did what it said on the tin and it
returned the same MPG as my old Xantia - about 42 measured by fill-to-fill.
Trip computer was a bit more optimistic.
Still haven't worked out where the control for the lumbar support
is...handbook seems to suggest it has one, but can't find it.
(1) There are no other kind...oh, hang on, we get icy ones too, and molten
ones in summer, and ones covered in wool and there's a rumour that somewhere
in the south is one where you sometimes get two lanes except on Bank
Holidays.
- --
Steve Durbin | Look! Minimalism and pointillism comes to ASCII art!
| .
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